Since the beginning of my life– long before I turned to metal art for expression, I knew that we were lucky to be alive. And, I felt tasked with carrying on Jewish traditions in the face of anti-semitism. Growing up Jewish in Los Angeles, every year at our annual Passover seder, our Holocaust Surviving grandmother and grandfather would raise a glass and declare, “Once we were slaves. Now we are free.” They would speak of Pharaoh in modern terms in the context of Hitler’s Germany and all they traversed in order to be here now– on this symbolic day. They would remark with unbelievable joy that they had lived to see our family grow and flourish.
As a young child, maybe 7 or 8 I was taken by this declaration. Over the years, I began to slowly realize that Passover was not just about a symbolic story of the Jews escaping slavery in Egypt in ancient times, but that this holiday (and many Jewish holidays) take on new meaning and earth shattering relevance from generation to generation. The challenging times we’ve been living in now are no exception.
Virtually every human being on the planet has suffered a loss of at least one dear loved one, was held hostage in one way or another by the killer COVID-19 virus or worse, was killed by it. Large swaths of the American people practically worship our former president, an evil con-man– to the detriment of themselves, their families, their neighbors, our country and the world. As if this isn’t enough, our generation is now facing the climactic consequences of overpopulation, and too much human waste bringing our natural habitat our of balance. I can’t help but to be extra grateful yet tremendously cautious about our paths towards greener pastures this year.
When I designed and created the Rebirth and Freedom Seder Plate I was pregnant with our son Kaleb. The design, when held vertically resembles a pregnant woman. When it’s held horizontally it looks like the bird of peace. It’s a symbolic gesture worthy of the upcoming holiday. Passover is a Yizkor holiday, so I have put the seder plate and the Garden of Memories Yahrzeit Candle Holder on sale for a limited time, to make these pieces more accessible for the coming festival.
Please, have a meaningful Pesah. May the suffering and loss you have personally undergone be a little brighter by the unintended blessings of the times. May oppressed people everywhere be freed. May the planet heal and all creatures thrive. May we find allies in our enemies and work together towards a brighter future.
WIth Love and Hope,
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